Hooking up with your next job is all about relationships

Monday

Aug 31, 2009 at 12:01 AMAug 31, 2009 at 7:18 AM

Networking has become a vital tool for job hunters who find blind calls, employment fairs and online resume applications insufficient in their quest for work. But building relationships takes time, experts say. The best networking starts when you don’t need it. Then when you do need it, those contacts are available.

Sean F. Driscoll

Networking has become a vital tool for job hunters who find blind calls, employment fairs and online resume applications insufficient in their quest for work.

But building relationships takes time, experts say. The best networking starts when you don’t need it. Then when you do need it, those contacts are available.

“I think of it as gardening. You have to cultivate relationships,” said Elizabeth Bockman, owner of Everyday Etiquette, a Sycamore firm that helps companies and individuals navigate professional dos and don’ts.

“It’s not hunting. You’re not hunting people down. It’s an opportunity to build a relationship. You need to go into it with that mind frame.”

The Rockford Register Star talked with a variety of experts to get their tips on what makes an effective networker.

Be sincere

Networking for your own needs makes you look opportunistic.

“One of the reasons people are uncomfortable with networking is, they have this sense that it’s disingenuous, that you’re mixing personal and professional relationships,” said Wendy Murphy, associate professor of marketing at Northern Illinois University.

“People who tend to be very good at networking invest time in developing relationships with interesting people, not purely with an instrumental purpose in mind. You never know what people are doing or what they’ll be doing in the future.”

Reaching out to people you’ve never met for purely job-hunting needs is a transparent effort to build a network, said Terry Bishop, associate professor of marketing at NIU.

“I’ll get calls out of the blue from people who want to network with me. You want my time, but I’ve never met you,” Bishop said. “They want me to essentially be a search agent. That’s not networking. It’s a little different if it’s a friend-of-a-friend sort of thing, or if you have an old business associate who recommends someone who gives you a call. But even in that situation I have to watch that my friend’s watching out for my interests.”

Don’t limit your reach

People you work with aren’t the only ones who should be in your network.

“Tell all your family, friends, people in church” that you’re looking for a job, said Art Delgado, coordinator of career services and placement at Rock Valley College. “Someone knows something or has heard something, and they’re sitting on that information because no one’s asking them. Let everyone you know know what you’re looking for.”

Murphy said it’s important to be a part of a community outside work to diversify your contacts.

“People you know from work all know each other and have the same information. Talk to people outside of work, in the neighborhood, people with similar interests. Those people tend to know different people who have different information. People who have broader networks tend to find out about job openings more often.”

Be honest

Especially if you’re talking to a long-lost friend.

If you’re reaching out to someone you haven’t talked to in a number of years, it’s important to be upfront about why you’re calling, said Bockman, who is teaching a networking class Sept. 26 at RVC.

“Take it slowly. Don’t turn the focus on you,” she said. “Continue to build on the relationship that’s already in place. Contact them for the sense that you want to tap into their experience and see what they can share with you that will be beneficial. Be interested in what they are and what they have to offer.”

Delgado said it can be awkward to reach out to an old contact for networking, but doing so carries little risk.

“If you don’t, who knows what may have happened? They may not help you out, but that’s OK. You’ve lost nothing,” he said. “What’s the worst that can happen to you? You have to be reasonable about these things, but what have you got to lose? Nothing.”

Bishop said calling an old contact beats a cold call to a hiring manager any day of the week.

“You’d be surprised at how long people’s memories are,” he said. “When someone contacts me as an alumni from 10 years ago, you’d be amazed at how many of them I recall. I’m much more willing to open my contact list to them than someone who comes to me out of the blue.”

Keep cultivating your network

Especially after you’ve found the job you’re looking for.

“Once you land in that job and people are e-mailing you, respond to them. Don’t ignore them,” Murphy said. “Maintain your network once its usefulness is not as dire for you. Don’t fall back into the habit of not maintaining your network. There’s a lot of activity you can do that tends to fall by the wayside but shouldn’t, like joining industry groups and attending conferences. Ignoring those opportunities until it becomes a dire emergency won’t help.”

Once you have a network going, you need to keep it active. Some day, you’ll need it again.

“It really isn’t about waiting until you need something to build the network, it’s engaging in that network,” Bishop said. “The wider your network, the more people you know that you’ve worked with and know the kind of work you do from a firsthand perspective.”

Sean F. Driscoll can be reached at (815) 987-1346 or sdriscoll@rrstar.com.

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